The document summarizes the construction of a massive offshore caisson breakwater in Mexico for a liquefied natural gas terminal project. 12 enormous concrete caissons, measuring up to 225 feet long and 125 feet wide, were constructed using innovative placing boom technology from Putzmeister. The caissons were built in a casting basin and then floated out to sea, where they were sunk to form a breakwater over a third of a mile long and weighing over 1.76 billion pounds. The breakwater protects liquefied natural gas ships from waves when unloading at the terminal.
The document summarizes the construction of a massive offshore caisson breakwater in Mexico for a liquefied natural gas terminal project. 12 enormous concrete caissons, measuring up to 225 feet long and 125 feet wide, were constructed using innovative placing boom technology from Putzmeister. The caissons were built in a casting basin and then floated out to sea, where they were sunk to form a breakwater over a third of a mile long and weighing over 1.76 billion pounds. The breakwater protects liquefied natural gas ships from waves when unloading at the terminal.
The document summarizes the construction of a massive offshore caisson breakwater in Mexico for a liquefied natural gas terminal project. 12 enormous concrete caissons, measuring up to 225 feet long and 125 feet wide, were constructed using innovative placing boom technology from Putzmeister. The caissons were built in a casting basin and then floated out to sea, where they were sunk to form a breakwater over a third of a mile long and weighing over 1.76 billion pounds. The breakwater protects liquefied natural gas ships from waves when unloading at the terminal.
READYMIX CONCRETE China Harbour-Costain constructed 12 enormous caissons, two at a time, in a casting basin 14 miles (23 kilometers) north of Ensenada, Mexico. Two Putzmeister MXKD 38/42 separate placing booms placed concrete via a slip form approach during construction of each huge caisson, sized 125 feet (38 meters) wide and up to 225 feet (68 meters) long. LNG is natural gas cooled below -260 F (-162 C) and condensed into a liquid that occupies 600 times less space than in its gaseous state. This enables shipment in cryogenic tankers from remote locations to the new Mexican terminal, where LNG ships can dock and unload into two above ground storage tanks. Each tank will store the liquid until it can be vaporized back into natural gas and moved via pipeline to customers. Breaking waves Although the entire LNG terminal project was highly involved, a 2,150-foot (652 meter) long breakwater posed especially complex concrete placing and logistical challenges. Tackling the major task head on was a stra- tegic combination of Putzmeister equip- ment, including separate placing booms and high pressure trailer-mounted concrete pumps. The high performance units placed concrete for 12 huge caissons. The caissons were of two sizes each 82 feet (25 meters) tall, 125 feet (38 meters) wide and either 152 feet (46.25 meters) or 225 feet (68 meters) long. The 12 gigantic caissons, each about the size of an eight-story office building, were towed out to sea and sunk to form a specially constructed breakwater. Since no natural harbor exists off the deep coastal waters of Costa Azul, this break - water would protect LNG ships from being damaged by forceful ocean waves when unloading at a specially constructed 820- foot (250 meter) long berthing pier. Size matters in equipment selection To construct the giant caissons, the first step was the creation of a dry dock or casting basin. A massive 330-foot by 553-foot (100 meters by 170 meters) cavity was excavated to a 40 foot (12 meters) depth, while a 30-degree slope angled to its 165- foot by 409-foot (50 meters by 125 meters) bottom area. This provided ample space to build two caissons at a time. For concrete placement, the contractor chose two Putzmeister MXKD 38/42 separate pla- cing booms for their long 125-foot (38-meter) horizontal reach. The placing booms were utilized with two large 400 meter/ton crane lattice towers, which were mounted on either foundation anchors or base plates, depending on their location in the casting basin or jetty. With the help of the extreme- ly high capacity cranes already on site, the two placing booms and two towers were cost-effectively moved between five moun- ting locations four within the casting basin and one in the jetty. The tower cranes easi- ly picked and moved the placing boom together with its power pack and pedestal. With the cranes 10.5 metric ton capacity at 150 feet (46 meters), it could also lift the entire placing boom tower with all tower sections connected. Four steps in the lifting and reconnection process were eliminated with every move, as no boom counterweight was needed with the placing booms selected for this job or with any conventional placing boom model from Putzmeister America, says Bob Liebermann, special products sales mana- ger at Putzmeister America, Inc. This signi- ficantly improves speed and efficiency. The contractor also benefited from the extra reach of our larger MXKD 38/42 placing boom model and avoided addi - Worlds Largest Offshore Caisson Breakwater Putzmeister America Inc., Sturtevant, WI 53177, USA Constructed 14 miles (23 kilometers) north of Ensenada, Mexico, the largest offshore caisson breakwater of its type in the world came to life through a combination of special concrete construction techniques that utilized innovative Putzmeister placing boom technology. The enormous breakwater was constructed for the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) receipt terminal along the Pacific Coast of the Americas as part of the $875 million Energa Costa Azul project. The project was designed to help the Mexican state of Baja California meet its demand for natural gas, which is expected to almost double by 2010. Currently, this region imports its natural gas from the U.S., which faces in - creasing energy consumption yet dwindling supplies. 07-Transport_en.qxp:Layout 1 12.03.2009 12:43 Uhr Seite 221 CPI Concrete Plant International 2 | 2009 www.cpi-worldwide.com 222 tional mounting locations in the casting basin because the boom and tower arrange- ment provided effective coverage for the pours, adds Liebermann. Three Putzmeister concrete trailer pumps were also chosen for the project, notably for their higher outputs in pumping the caisson bases at a faster pace. Therefore, on site were a BSA 1407- D and two BSA 1409-D models, capable of maximum outputs of 93 and 119 cubic yards an hour (71 and 91 cubic meters an hour) respectively, and high pressures up to 1,537 psi (106 bar). Powered by turbo- charged 157 horsepower (115 kilowatt) Deutz diesel engines, the pumps delivered a highly abrasive concrete via five-inch (125 millimeters) pipeline stretching over 150 feet (46 meters) distances. To ensure peak machine performance, Construmac, S.A., an authorized Putzmeister distributor for over 15 years, provided main- tenance and service support of the concrete placing equipment. Established in 1976, Construmac is headquartered in Naucalpan with nine branch locations throughout Mexico. Floating from casting basin to jetty Floating the caissons out of the casting basin was a complex endeavor. First, all concrete placing equipment had to be relo- cated to a special lay down area. This removed the equipment from the path of the floating caissons and also avoided equip- ment contact with the corrosive salt water when the casting basin gate was opened. An eight to 10-day cycle started, which involved a day to flood the casting basin, a day to remove the casting basin gate and two days to move the caissons out during high tide. A tug boat in combination with cast- in-place winches and bollards controlled the caissons movements to prevent damage to the sides of the gate seal area. Then, a day of repositioning the casting basin gate and its seals were required, followed by two days of pumping water out of the casting basin. The remaining cycle time was spent cleaning up and preparing for construction of the next two caissons. Two at a time, the caissons were floated to a jetty about 100 yards (91 meters) away and flooded in preparation for the next step. A placing boom and tower were repo- sitioned to place concrete for the turret, which is the upper 36-foot (11 meters) sec- tion of each caisson. This portion will remain above water when finally posi - tioned at sea. The final 14 miles When the turret was placed with concrete and appropriately capped, each short cais- son weighed approximately 35 million pounds (16,000 metric tons) and each long caisson approximately 52 million pounds (24,000 metric tons). They were towed by tugs 14 miles (23 kilometers) up the coast, using GPS for precise positio- ning. Once in place, butterfly valves, carefully positioned in the caissons, were opened to flood and sink the caisson on a specially prepared granular bed. The cells were then filled with sand to further ballast them and displace the water. Once ballasted, each short caisson weighed a hefty 127 million pounds (58,000 metric tons) and each long caisson weighed over 189 millions pounds (86,000 metric tons). The 12 cais- sons were further interlocked together to form the one-third mile long breakwater, which weighed over an astounding 1.76 billion pounds (800,000 metric tons) in total. Started in January 2005, construction of the caissons consumed over 105,000 cubic yards (80,000 cubic meters) of a high High pressure BSA trailer pumps capably delivered a highly abrasive concrete via five-inch (125 millimeters) pipeline that stretched over 150 feet (46 meters). On site tower cranes moved the placing boom with pedestal and power pack in one pick, and could fly the entire connected placing boom tower in another pick. At the jetty, a placing boom and its tower were repositioned to place concrete for the turret, which is the upper 36-foot (11 meter) section of each caisson that will remain above water when positioned at sea. 07-Transport_en.qxp:Layout 1 12.03.2009 12:43 Uhr Seite 222 READYMIX CONCRETE strength concrete. Cemex, headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico, produced the 50 N/mm concrete mix from two on site batch plants during construction of the breakwater. Each batch plant was capa- ble of 75 cubic yards an hour (57 cubic meters an hour) outputs. Cemex also supplied the concrete for the LNG tanks, which alt- hough large, only required about 8,000 cubic yards (6,000 cubic meters) for each of the two tanks. Core locks, positioned in front of the caissons to help break up the waves, added an additional 19,500 cubic yards (15,000 cubic meters) to the projects total con- crete usage. Delivering the gas The 400-acre terminal, including pipeline, comprises over a $1 billion capital investment in Baja California, Mexico, with commercial ope- rations commencing in early 2008. The new LNG terminal is ca - pable of annually receiving 7.6 million tons of LNG from loading terminals around the world and processing one billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Designed to provide additional natural gas to northern Mexico, it may also offer a supply alternative to California and southwestern U.S. markets. FURTHER INFORMATION Putzmeister America Inc. 1733 90th Street Sturtevant, WI 53177, USA T +1 262 8863200 F +1 262 8846338 www.putzmeister.com Putzmeister Concrete Pumps GmbH Max-Eyth-Str. 10 72631 Aichtal, Germany T +49 7127 5990 F +49 7127 599520 pki@pmw.de www.pmw.de Each caisson, weighing up to 52 million pounds (24,000 metric tons) and about the size of an eight-story office building, was floated 14 miles (23 kilometers) out to sea and positioned using GPS. A-4673 Gaspoltshofen/Austria, Hauptstrae 37 T. ++43(0)7735/6937- 0, F. ++43 (0)7735/6937-70 office@baum-autom.at www.baum-autom.at > LSST SICH ERFOLG STEUERN? DO YOU WANT THE REINS OF SUCCESS IN YOUR HANDS? Ja. Mit Baumgartner. Geht es um spezielle Kiesaufbereitung, geht es um Mischanlagen, hat Baumgartner die perfekte Steuerung. Mit BCS4 liefert Ihnen Baumgartner die Steuerung fr noch mehr Erfolg. Ob Engineering, Verteilerbau, Software, Mon- tage, Inbetriebnahme, mit Baumgartner haben Sie einen Partner von langjhriger Erfahrung und internationalem Ttigkeitsradius. Sie wollen eine Fernwartung? Sie bentigen eine Daten- bank? Produktionsdatenerfassung ist Ihnen wichtig? Sie wollen Ablufe visualisieren? Die Lsung: eine Steuerung von Baumgartner. Yes. With Baumgartner. Baumgartner has the perfect control system for special gravel processing and for mixing plants. Baumgartner and its product BCS4 provide you a control system to achieve even greater success. In Baumgartner you will find a partner, who has long-standing experience and an international sphere of activity, be it in the fields of engineering, distribution network, soft- ware, assembling or start-up operations. Do you require remote maintenance? Do you need a database? Is acquisition of production data important to you? Do you want to visualize the process flow? The solution: A control system produced by Baumgartner. 07-Transport_en.qxp:Layout 1 12.03.2009 12:43 Uhr Seite 223